The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-06-11

pioneer and the father of North Bend. Two
daughters by his first wife followed him West,
one of whom became the wife of General Har-
rison.
Symmcs here bought of Government an i'm
mensc tract of land which he advertised in q
quaint circular at Trenton. in 17s7-just one
hundred years ago we pcrccivc-addressed
ito the respectable public" and giving the
price of the land at sixty-six and 'wo-thirds
cents per acre. After year it should be
one dollar and after two years two dollars
per acre, which tremendous advance was in
tended as n stimulus to ready sale. After two
wears the rise in price would be still greater
If the country settled up us fast as
was to be expected, the certificates
raised by this augmentation in price to be ap-
piled 10 the making of roads, bridges. etc, in
the Purchase. Symmes paid Government 16A
cents per acre. He reserved to himself, from
the above tract. portion of country part of
which was located between the Ohio and Great
Miami rivers. Here he would "lay out u town
pa', and make his pioneer settlement. To
see "a great and prosperous city rise here was the
dream OF his life, but there came to him much
legal trouble over his purchase. His house was
burned by an ipcendary enemy in 1911, and
there is LEFT 10 his name the little village of
Clcyes, and slab in poor, neglected grave
yard called Congress Green" not far from
General Harison's tomb In the little inclos-
ure where til Wild locust the mandrake and
more Of the Harrison family, marked by tall
headstones and low slabs. some like that of
Judge Symmcs, dating back to 1874 The lat
ter died in Cincinnati in that year, in straitened
circumstances, having been compelled to assign
his property to his sun-in-aw. He had natur-
ally thought that the Great Miami would bring
supplies to a town from up the country and the
Whitewater would also contribute to its neces-
sites. But the natural pcryerSity OF human
events in this case upset all his sensible calcu-
lations and the fort which was the nucleus of
his prospective city was removed to Cincin-
natl by means of love affair between the COM
manding Officer and u lady who lived at the lat
ter place,
Notwithstanding the will of the fatcs against
poor Symmcs, he exercised great good taste in
selecting this particular spot for settlement
The topography or the country is more varied
and beautiful thaa any other in Hamilton
Cointy. His letters show that he had an eye
10 the picturesque and the charms of nature
Spring must have been vcritably u season here
in those days, something more than short
bridge over the gap betweGa winter and sum-
mcr. The leaves, he wrote were putting forth
in the last of February. In Mar'h the red-bud,
dogwood and hawthorn were in iull bloom, and
there came to this early opening very great
variety of native birds including focks of paro-
quets in their tropical garb of green and gold.
How often this man with Robinson Crusoe
spirit of adventure must have fshed and hunted
and climbed these hills, and from their project
ing browS been enchanted with the various
views, and felt rather ldngly withal over his
wide possessions
In winter when the forests denuded of their
foliage, gave more open views than in summer.
the panorama must have been glorious. From
one spot he could see the double views of